Outdoor pianos bring melodies to Pasadena streets

PASADENA - Passersby on Colorado Boulevard on Thursday afternoon heard more than the usual drone of car motors and honking horns; their ears were graced with the elegant strains of Bach preludes from "The Well-Tempered Clavier."

Part of a celebration of Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra's Music Director Jeffrey Kahane's 15th anniversary, the decorated "Play Me, I'm Yours" pianos made their mass debut with a special noon performance of Bach on all 30 pianos spread throughout the greater Los Angeles area.

Others in Pasadena are at One Colorado and the Pasadena Conservatory of Music.

Jeffrey Bernstein of Altadena - artistic and executive director of Pasadena Master Chorale - launched the program on the piano stationed in the courtyard behind Vroman's Bookstore.

He played two pieces by Bach, another by Haydn and a third 15-minute piece of his own impromptu creation.

He said he loves the idea of getting a community of musicians together to play outdoor music.

"I think anything we can do to re-contextualize music and place it into the fabric of life is great," Bernstein said.

Many community members came out to hear the Vroman's piano's inaugural performance and even try out the brightly painted instrument - which sported a bust of Beethoven. Performers included 74-year-old Judy Ballenger of Pasadena, who said she'd been playing piano since she was 5.

"I love it because it's kind quirky," she said of the "Play Me, I'm Yours" project. "It's kind of democratic, everybody can take a run at it."

Marcia Battin of South Pasadena said she likes its collaborative nature.

"The idea of 30 people playing music at the same time is performance art at its finest," she said.